“And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness— secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.” Isaiah 45:3

I came across that verse two nights ago while praying through the book Praying God’s Word — specifically the chapter on depression. It’s a promise written to Cyrus (not to everyone) but the phrase “treasures hidden in darkness” really stood out to me. 

I’m up at 1:30 because of pain. Been awake since 1:00. I looked out the open window to see if it was any cooler outside than inside (it wasn’t) and I was struck by what I heard. 

Nothing. 

Just darkness. 

And in four hours there will still be more darkness. Except the air will be filled with glorious songbirds greeting the dawn. What makes 5am different from 1am to the birds? It’s all darkness. How do they know to start singing at 5am instead of 1:30? Or 3:30? Or 4:15? 

What makes one darkness different from another?

Hearing the birds sing while it’s still dark outside has been one of my most favorite moments of the day since I was a little kid. And while I was pondering what makes 5am different from all the other hours of night I remembered that verse. 

5am is precious because there are treasures in darkness. Dawn hasn’t come, but you hear the glory of birds singing and you know it’s approaching.

It’s still darkness, but there are treasures of beauty and rich sounds that make it different from the darkness of other hours. Morning is coming. Hope is ahead. 

God, the darkness is real right now. Give me eyes to see the hidden treasures so that I will know that You are God who calls me by name.